Chapter Seven Lovesick
Harry stood on the Quidditch pitch and evaluated the groups of people trying out for the Gryffindor team. Hermione watched him with growing anxiety in her heart. She wasn't sure how the meeting with Trelawney had gone; it was still very puzzling. She was sure that she had been successful in convincing the teacher that Dumbledore needed protection even against his will and that would stop him from attempting to fake his own death.
She thought she had gotten it across that the two of them together would watch Dumbledore and Malfoy and that Trelawney would help her enter Dumbledore's office when the headmaster was gone, although she wasn't sure that Trelawney had gotten that bit. If she could persuade her to help her then she could search for the time-turner and any other information that might be there. Of all the staff at Hogwarts, she had chosen Trelawney because she was, to Hermione, rather thick and slow in her thinking; and that was saying a lot. Now all that remained was to wait patiently for Dumbledore to leave the castle.
She watched her friend and felt an throbbing ache. There was desire and a strange exhilaration. So much so, that it was all she could do to stay seated and not go down and act the fool. In her heart she wanted to gush and flirt and draw his attention to herself . She didn't know how to navigate this new territory. She had had very warm feelings for Ron before and even thought they might end up a couple. But this...this new experience was both wonderful and frightening and over-powering. Just watching Harry gave her a thrill and made her catch her breath.
In one respect, she still felt that Harry was still her very good friend, that had not changed. On the other hand, she felt like every moment of the day was taken in thinking and dreaming about him, in planning for what she could do to help him, in being near him. And in one part of her mind, she wondered if this was not what it felt like when someone just had a crush. The rational side of her mind was almost embarrassed by the absurdity of the emotion. Even so, the emotional side had take control. The hardest part was keeping her feelings a secret and hidden. Above all, she did not want to reveal how she felt.
Her experience with the past- that none of them had yet to even experience- told her that Harry would fall for Ginny and in the end, dreadfully aware of his own destiny, would part from her. Hermione knew that if she were to reveal her true feelings that she, too, would be abandoned. There was every chance that Harry would still leave her and Ron behind in his quest to kill Voldemort. She knew he would fear for their safety. She also knew from her own talented insight into others that he would long to have his friends with him. And that was what she wanted to exploit.
Besides, she told herself as she used a confunding charm on Cormac McLaggen, he needs Ron and me and if everything goes well I can find and destroy the Horcruxes and weaken Voldemort so much that he'll have a really good chance to kill him.
She regretted with all of her heart what she had to do next.
It was after their visit to Hagrid's where she had once again lied and told them all that the time-turners had all been destroyed that she followed her own plan of action. She waited patiently in the hallways pretending to patrol them until everyone had gone to bed for the night. She had sent a message by owl earlier in the evening to Draco and forged Snape's signature. She hurried down to the dungeon classroom and waited in the dark wishing that she did not have to do what she was about to do. When the older Hermione told her that she would have to do it she had protested. "There has to be another way," she said.
"There is no other way," the old woman explained. "Do you think I have not investigated alternatives. You know that I am you. Do you not trust yourself?"
Hermione looked into the old woman's face and knew that it was no lie. "He'll hate me for this. Harry will hate me and maybe he'll never forgive me. I only hope that it'll all be worthwhile."
"I hope so too," her older self said. "I can't tell you what will happen in the future if you take these steps. He may die anyway," She turned to the road where Harry stood waiting for the younger girl and sighed, "or he may survive; and that is what we both want. I only know Hermione that if you don't do this then the rest will not change, history will not change. Dumbledore will go forward with his plans to fake his own death, Snape will be charged with his murder and Harry will suffer the consequence. He'll believe that he is the only one that can find and destroy the Horcruxes. He'll leave Hogwarts and become a visible target. It was easy to find him at the wedding. Voldemort is no fool. Getting Harry out of the way was one of his first chores in my past and we both know that Harry is naive. He doesn't know his own strengths. He thinks that he cannot do this without Dumbledore. He has no faith in himself. But these are minor problems. He has yet to fully face the dreadful things that truly do haunt him." The younger girl began to protest and the old woman shook her head and went on. "Yes, he's faced Voldemort several times, but he has not fought him. And, he is impulsive. He may try to do that very thing without destroying the Horcruxes first. You know as I do that he often follows his heart instead of his head. You must do what I say and follow my plan!"
"But why does Dumbledore do it?" Hermione complained to her older self. "Why does he even get Harry involved in the first place. He shows him, tells him about it all. It's as if he's goading him on to take on the task of finding the Horcruxes. He knows how dangerous it is. His own hand was terribly injured in the process of destroying the ring. Is that what he wants for Harry?"
The old woman shook her head. "I can't tell you what he has on his mind Hermione. If you change the circumstances then Dumbledore will have to change his plans."
Hermione remembered that moment even as she stood in the dark in the smelly dank dungeon classroom and waited. She heard footsteps and ventured to light her wand. His pale blond head was visible first. He stepped in the classroom without hesitation but his face was averted.
"Yes, Professor," he began and then looked up. He only had a moment before she cast the freezing charm and he stiffened. The look of surprise and disgust were frozen on his face.
There was also a look of mild fear.
"Don't worry Draco, I'm not going to hurt you," she said quickly and caught him as he teetered in place and threatened to fall flat on his face. She leaned him against a wall and then reached in her robe pocket and produced a vial. "I couldn't decide which to give you first; she shook the vial and held her wand light up to it. Then I decided it won't matter because this will take care of the whole problem."
His eyes were fastened involuntarily on the glass tube and small tears glistened in them. he could not move them or blink and she saw the fear in them deepen.
She laid her wand on a nearby table and reached over and held his nose with one hand. His mouth immediately popped open and she pushed his head back so that the liquid would not be wasted running down his chin and then dumped the entire contents in his mouth. She waited for it to have an effect, knowing that she had to be in front of his face. She had to be the first person visible in order for the love portion, the Amortentia, to have an effect.
As soon as his gaze softened and his body relaxed she took her wand and waved it and removed the freezing spell.
"Darling! he gasped and seized her. "I'm so glad you're here and we're alone. I've missed you! I love you!"
He tried to kiss her and she pulled away somewhat frightened by the ferocity of the reaction and the potion's strength. "Yes, yes Draco. I love you too," she murmured, pulling her clothes straighter.
"You do?" he whispered fervently, grabbing her arms and pressing her back against Snape's desk. He leaned in, his mouth was inches away from her own. "Oh, I am so glad! Each minute that passes when you aren't in my presence makes me want to die with longing."
"Right," she said crisply and yanked free, swerving neatly away from him. "Ok, Draco, that goes for me too. Now, I want you to do something for me."
"Anything, if you'll just let me touch your skin, kiss your hand," he reached for her hand and tried to nuzzle it with his lips. He was kneeling and pulling her down and his hands were pawing her clothes once again trying to pull her to him.
She studied the top of his head while he was bent over her hand and frowned. If only this could be you Harry, she thought. "Alright Draco, enough!" She pulled her hand free and pushed herself back feeling mildly disgusted. "Come on SWEETHEART," she growled, "on your feet. We have work to do."
"What? What do you ask of me? Anything! I will do your bidding."
"The Daily Prophet said that ministry just did a thorough search of your home. They found nothing of interest but there is something there that your father was hiding for the dark lord," Hermione said. "Or he knows about it and has hidden it."
Draco straightened, his right hand going unconsciously to his left forearm hidden beneath his robes. He frowned, his face gauzy as if in a dream that he couldn't wake from and he turned to her. "Yes," he mumbled, acknowledging her remark.
"Draco, darling," she emphasized the word, "where did your father hide it?"
Draco shook his head slightly and his brow wrinkled even more as if there was a fierce struggle taking place in his brain. He moved to her and reached out to touch her face. She allowed it knowing that he felt compelled by the love potion she had given him and also knew that a stronger force was fighting against his 'love' for her.
"He took it to the dark lord. It is safe now," he shuddered as he answered.
Hermione nodded. It made sense that Voldemort had gathered what Horcruxes he could find and took them home to safety. "Where is the photograph, Draco. Where is the picture of Merope Riddle? Voldemort..." she stopped when she saw him wince. He looked at her and there were tears of pain in his eyes. "The dark lord would keep the picture of his mother nearby. Did he take it to the Riddle mansion?" She was using the information her old self had given her.
The older Hermione had not known the location of all of the Horcruxes. She had only been able to give hints. Hermione remembered the conversation in the garden with the old lady.
"When Tom Riddle was yanked from his body by the force of the rebounded spell and he disappeared, it was left to his Death Eaters to pick up the pieces of their little organization. Without their leader it almost fell apart," the old Hermione said. "Lucius Malfoy was, of course, the most likely candidate for following in Riddle's shoes, but he had to be careful. The Wizengamot was rounding up all Death Eaters and putting them on trial. That was the trial that you saw in Dumbledore's pensieve and told us about Harry." She looked at Harry who nodded.
She continued, "Riddle made Horcruxes out of the Gaunt ring, the one that burned Albus' hand when he destroyed it. He also made one from the Slytherin heirloom, which was the locket that Merope wore in that memory you saw in Dumbledore's pensieve. Then there was the Hufflepuff cup which Hepsidah Smith was murdered for and then Dumbledore thought that Nagini was also a Horcrux. The last one that we know about is the diary that you destroyed." The older Hermione was shaking her head as she spoke." So we have the ring, the locket, the cup, the dairy and the snake. That leaves one and Dumbledore didn't know what the other one was. He was close to finding out...very close in his assumptions. He thought that Riddle was using items from each Hogwarts House to make them. He was not aware of the photograph."
"Photograph?" Harry asked quickly. "What photograph?"
"The one of Riddle's mother," she answered. "Riddle researched his own family history much more thoroughly then Dumbledore could have. The family was very poor and old man Gaunt would never have squandered money on such a thing. When Merope broke free and lived with her husband, Tom Riddle Sr., it was a thing that she desired to have. A photograph was taken. In the few belongings left behind by his mother, and there were very few, he did find a photograph. The fifth Horcrux was made from the photograph."
"Do you know where it is?" the young Hermione asked.
The older one shook her head. "When Riddle came back to power he began a frantic search to find them all again. Malfoy had the diary and several other things that he saved when his master disappeared. The Black family was also very close to Riddle and Sirius' parents were staunch supporters of Voldemort. It is surmised that some of the objects might be secreted in the Black house."
"We've been in the house," Harry protested. "We've cleaned it."
The old woman nodded, "I am aware of it, Harry. In my time, I also helped in cleaning that house. What we could not have known or didn't think about was Kreacher. He was stealing and hiding what he thought of as precious Black heirlooms. Then there was Mundungus. You even caught him stealing the Black silver that day in Hogsmeade, remember?"
Harry and Hermione both nodded. "How could I forget? That was the day that Katie Bell was bewitched by the opal necklace."
"There were many things that were removed from that house. Sirius hated it so much that he wouldn't go into some parts of it at all. There were rooms that both of you never saw."
"So the photograph was there?" Hermione asked her older self.
"I believe it was and that someone, probably Mundungus, found it and delivered it to Voldemort."
"So that's it?" Harry asked.
"No, not quite." The old woman sipped at her tea and placed a hand over her chest, patting it and taking short little gasps of breath. "Dumbledore made a mistake. Nagini was not a Horcrux. Riddle had made a Horcrux out of a Hufflepuff object, a Slytherin object and one out of a Ravenclaw or Gryffindor object. Dumbledore had been right about that. He just never did find out what those objects were. The night that he died..." she glanced at Harry, "the Death Eaters were in the castle for one sole reason and it wasn't to kill Albus, it was to retrieve one of the Horcruxes. Dumbledore had found it and had not discovered a way to destroy it. After all, his actions towards the Gaunt ring almost cost him his life."
"What were they after?" Hermione asked breathlessly. "The Sorting Hat or the Gryffindor sword?"
"Let's look at this again. Riddle used the Gaunt ring, the locket which was Slytherin, the Hufflepuff cup, the diary, the photograph and there was one left. It could have been from Ravenclaw house or Gryffindor house. Which do you think he chose?"
"Gryffindor!" Harry and the young Hermione said together.
The old woman nodded. "Something that belonged to a Gryffindor. It was not the Sorting Hat, although that was the most obvious choice. The hat was always in Albus' possession and therefore protected. it had to be something that Riddle could get hold of."
"What then?" Harry asked.
"It belonged to the Black family, originally owned by Sirius, who was a Gryffindor," the old woman said.
"Do you know what it is?" the young Hermione asked frowning. She was studying the old woman.
They waited patiently and then the older Hermione shook her head and set her glass down. "No, I never found out. It had something to do with...Regulus, Sirius' brother. He was the one I think swapped out the locket that you found in the cave Harry and he was the one that left the message you found. I believe that Regulus died destroying the locket. When I investigated the whole issue it was clear that no one knew what had actually happened to Regulus. Everyone believed Voldemort killed him for switching sides."
"So it is something that belonged to Sirius," Harry said quietly. His green eyes narrowed as he sat thinking. Both Hermiones watched him.
The older Hermione spoke first. "Regulus had access to everything that Sirius left behind when he left the Black household at seventeen. If Riddle wanted something from Gryffindor he could have easily gotten Regulus to take it. Once made into a Horcrux then Riddle would have been satisfied to return it to the Black mansion where Mr. and Mrs. Black would have bent over backwards to protect and hide it. There is where, I think, it has remained all of these years."
"What do you think it is?" Harry asked.
The old woman studied him for a moment and said, "During my time after Voldemort had risen to power people began to go missing. One of them was Ollivander from Ollivander's wands."
"Maybe he's kidnapped Ollivander to make Voldemort a new wand. Harry's didn't work right when he used it in the cemetery against Voldemort," the young Hermione said quickly.
The old woman looked at her and smiled. "That's what everyone thought."
"A Gryffindor wand...THE Gryffindor wand!" Harry exclaimed suddenly.
The old woman beamed at him and said, "It would be of great value and it would be a wonderfully magical object to have; even better to make Horcrux out of and it would be something that your parent's would have ready access to."
Harry's face fell and he whispered, "He was after the wand, not me. He killed them to make the Horcrux."
The old woman nodded sadly, her own face reflecting is own. "I think so, Harry."
The next day following her conversation with Draco, Hermione sat a little further down the table from Ron and Harry and ate her breakfast. She was numb from lack of sleep and flinching each time she felt a nudge and another Slytherin handed her a hand-written love note from Draco. She had warned him to not approach her or talk about her to his friends and yet she knew that the love potion was the strongest in the world and that no amount of persuasion was going to stop his advances until the effects wore off.
She glanced down the table and noticed Ron's angry face. She also noticed Harry's worried expression and his usual habit of ducking his head down and not looking at her directly.
It wasn't until the hall had almost cleared and she was almost late for class that she folded the Daily Prophet and gathered her books. Ron had already left the table and Harry was sitting alone. He turned and slipped off the bench and walked to her.
"So are you going to tell me?" he said.
"Tell you? Tell you what Harry?" she asked.
He lowered his head and whispered, "What Draco's doing? He's been watching every move you made this morning and he's got people sending you messages. He looks like...well he looks like he's sick or something. What's he on about? What's he saying in those notes?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, Harry," she said crisply.
"He is being a nasty git? If he is..." Harry stopped.
She stopped and turned to confront him holding an armload of books in front of her. "It's nothing, Harry. Really. I can take care of this."
"You're...not upset. You like it," he said and stepped closer examining her face. "Isn't that taking things a bit far, Hermione? I know you believe that the Houses should be more united...but Draco! One minute you're punching him in the face and the next you're getting notes from him? Are they..." he swallowed hard and squinted, "love notes? From Malfoy?" He glanced at the Slytherin table that was now empty and then back to her.
She felt her heart speed up and her mouth become dry. He was so close. She knew that what he was seeing in her face was her feelings about him, not about the Slytherin he hated. She took a breath and said, "You're seeing something that isn't there."
"Really!" he countered. "So tell me what's in the messages he's been sending over."
She pushed the folded parchments deeper into her bag with one hand and turned away. She wanted, desperately wanted, to tell him everything and knew that she couldn't. She walked away instead and knew that she left him with confusion and worry.
After an entire day of avoiding he and Ron, Hermione skipped supper and headed down the path that led to the gates of Hogwarts. It was only there that she could apparate outside theincantations and spells that protected the school.
She was met in the shade and shadows, as night drew, near by a spectral figure dressed all in black.
"Miss Granger," the deep voice spoke from the dark. "What are you doing out here?'
"I am free to come and go as I please," she said flatly. "Seventh yearscan leave the grounds if they choose."
"I hear things Miss Granger," Snape said moving closer. "And even though I am not aware of your actions every moment of the day, I believe that you have ignored my warnings and have persisted in meddling into things that are none of your business." He stepped closer and she could see his face in the dim light. He was looking down at her with his piercing black eyes.
She remained silent and stared back.
"For instance, Mr. Malfoy..." he began.
"I'm in a hurry Professor," she said crossing him. I have someone I must meet and I don't want to be late!" She stepped over the boundaries of the school border and without looking back took a step and disapparated leaving Snape staring angrily at the spot.
He spun on his heels and headed back to the castle with his robes billowing behind him.
